Updated 2020 NFL draft order: Bengals now at No. 1, Dolphins slide to 4
The 2020 NFL draft is now less than 25 weeks away, and there certainly will be changes to the draft order between now and then.
But we’ve had some significant changes to that order this week, and it’s becoming more clear which teams are in contention for the playoffs and which ones are subtly shifting to offseason mode.
Here are a few takeaways:
The first change is at the top: The Cincinnati Bengals have overtaken the Miami Dolphins for the No. 1 pick based on the Dolphins earning their first victory of the season. In fact, the Dolphins technically have dropped all the way to No. 4 for now, and the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans getting hot lately has hurt the value of their other two first-round picks they own. Still, don’t discount the possibility of Miami hopping back into that spot. The Bengals are getting healthy on offense and could get a boost from new starting QB Ryan Finley throwing to WR A.J. Green and Co. Plus, the Dolphins face the Bengals in Miami in Week 16. The Bengals also have a game against the 1-7 New York Jets, who lost to the Dolphins and could be in further disarray by that point.
The Cleveland Browns are currently in the No. 7 slot. Even if you didn’t think they were ready for prime time, as some of us wondered, did anyone expect this? The Browns would have selected No. 17 in Round 1 a year ago had they not traded away their first-rounder in the Odell Beckham Jr. deal.
The Oakland Raiders are currently picking in the top 10 — No. 10 on the nose to be exact — but it’s not their own selection. That pick was the one they got from the Chicago Bears in the Khalil Mack deal. That trade felt like a clear victory for the Bears after one season of Mack wrecking the NFL in 2018. Now it’s less clear. This is a good example of why waiting to assess a trade until all the pieces fall into place is important. The Bears might be searching high and low for someone to compete with QB Mitch Trubisky, and a selection in the upper part of Round 1 certainly would have benefitted that effort. Raiders GM Mike Mayock, who clearly is running the draft, has to be giddy. He had three firsts last year and has two more this year, currently Nos. 10 and 16. Not too many first-time general managers are fortunate enough to walk into a situation where they’ll be receiving five first-round picks in a two-year span. And of course, it’ll be a massive draft for the Raiders, held in their new home of Las Vegas.
The race for Chase Young is starting to take shape. We believe he’ll be the first non-QB selected, which likely means he’ll be drafted in the top three. We’re not suggesting you go out and get your YOUNG NFL jerseys just yet, but the teams squarely in the mix for the Ohio State pass rusher’s service appear to be — barring a trade somewhere along the way — the Washington Redskins, Jets, Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants. Of course, that’s assuming the Bengals and Dolphins are in the QB mix, which ... well, you never know if that will come to fruition.
Here is the full Round 1 order entering Week 10:
1. Cincinnati Bengals
2. Washington Redskins
3. New York Jets
4. Miami Dolphins
5. Atlanta Falcons
6. New York Giants
7. Cleveland Browns
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
9. Denver Broncos
10. Oakland Raiders (from Chicago Bears)
11. Arizona Cardinals
12. Detroit Lions
13. Jacksonville Jaguars
14. Los Angeles Chargers
15. Tennessee Titans
16. Oakland Raiders
17. Dolphins (from Pittsburgh Steelers)
18. Philadelphia Eagles
19. Carolina Panthers
20. Jaguars (from Los Angeles Rams)
21. Dallas Cowboys
22. Indianapolis Colts
23. Minnesota Vikings
24. Kansas City Chiefs
25. Dolphins (from Houston Texans)
26. Buffalo Bills
27. Green Bay Packers
28. Seattle Seahawks
29. Baltimore Ravens
30. New Orleans Saints
31. New England Patriots
32. San Francisco 49ers
And here are where the teams currently without first-round selections would have their highest draft picks, as of Nov. 5:
42. Bears
48. Steelers
51. Rams
57. Texans
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